BERKELEY — A man suspected of raping an elderly woman in her North Berkeley home Wednesday afternoon was nabbed by officers minutes after the crime, police said.

Berkeley resident Renee Moss, 42, was arrested and booked at the Berkeley city jail on charges of rape, burglary and elder abuse, said Berkeley police spokesman Joe Okies.

Police said the woman was in her home on the 1700 block of California Street about 3 p.m. when the man knocked on the door and asked to come inside. The woman, whose exact age and name were not released by police to protect her identity, let him in.

Police declined to elaborate on exactly what the man said to gain entry into the home.

“He talked his way into the residence,” Okies said.

Police said it does not appear the woman knew the suspect.

Once inside, police said, Moss restrained the woman and raped her.

Police said a woman — possibly a neighbor — who was in the area heard cries for help from the elderly woman and knocked on her door.

When the elderly woman did not answer, she let herself inside, only to see the suspect fleeing out the back door. The witness followed the suspect from a distance, called police and then identified him to police, Okies said. Police said the rape was the first in that neighborhood.

“Generally that neighborhood is very safe. Stranger rapes are unusual in Berkeley and even more unusual in that neighborhood,” Okies said.

Moss was arrested a few blocks from California Street near the North Berkeley BART Station, police said.

Berkeley police Officer Tim Kaplan of the sex crimes unit credited the witness for her part in the arrest.

“The fact that the witness took the initiative to follow the suspect, combined with a fast response by patrol and their keen observations of the suspect enabled us to identify and arrest him moments after he committed the rape.”

Okies said Moss has not been linked to any unsolved rapes in the city, but investigators in nearby cities have been alerted to the arrest of Moss, who may be linked to other unsolved cases.